The Moon and the Ring did not disappoint

Spring has been tough for our public observing programs. It seemed we would never see a clear night. On June 12 our public night consisted of peeking at Saturn through openings in the cloud cover; that offered some very good, if unreliable viewing! A week later, on June 17, Alumni Weekend was kicked off with an observing night for attendees and we had both good attendance (30 to 40 visitors) and clear skies for most of the night. We spotted several of Saturn's many moons and saw hints of the great storm raging in the northern hemisphere of that planet's atmosphere. June marked the end of Saturn observation from Hiram due to a line of tall trees just across the property line from the Observatory.

Our first break for the public happened last night (July 9) when we had skies mostly clear of clouds. There was, however, enough moisture in the atmosphere to help make the Waxing Gibbous Moon's glow make the sky glow. In all 23 visitors attended and were treated to our usual exquisite views of the lunar surface. Especially striking, due to the timing of our observation, were the inky-black unlit floors of several large craters. The low sun angle at the terminator also highlighted crater walls and cast long shadows from mountain peaks in the lunar seas. Simply glorious.

Next we viewed the sparkling beauty of the red giant star Antares, at the "heart" of constellation Scorpius. Twinkling from a brilliant star is impressive through a telescope.

The bright sky made locating the M4 globular star cluster very difficult and a less-than-impressive sight! Once found all we could make out was a faint spray of stars in a "Moon-glowed" field of view.

To cap off the night I swung the big telescope so that it pointed high in the sky, fished a bit in a slightly less murky sky, and found M57 -- the Ring Nebula. At first I believed Lyra was too high in the sky for observing with the big refractor but, as it turned out, the elevation put the eyepiece at a very comfortable level for everyone present. We viewed the "gray donut" first at about 100X and, as the hour was growing late, many guests left after taking a quick look. Once everyone had taken a look, however, I swapped eyepieces and boosted the power to 133X. Between the different optics and the slightly greater magification, the Ring looked clearer and brighter -- it was probably the best view of that object I've had to date.

So while the warm, humid summer night didn't provide optimal seeing conditions the sky was clear for a change. We did enjoy a very good night of observing: the Moon and the Ring did not disappoint.

Somewhat larger than average, like the Moon!

Much was made by the media of the so-called "super moon" which was a rare combination of a full Moon phase with Earth's one satellite reaching the perigee, or low point, of its orbit; in this case reaching a distance of 221,567 miles. One attention-seeking astrologer went to far as to suggest the coming lunar event possibly caused the terrible earthquake and tsunami that devastated areas of Japan on March 11. Of course that disaster occurred a full week before the "super moon" happened and the Moon was well within its normal distance range from its parent Earth. The good that did come from the attention was that people were interested in seeing our friendly Moon at its best and brightest. Stephens Memorial Observatory had already scheduled a season-opening Public Night for March 19 --the night of the so-called super moon-- which worked out well. The evening sky was clearer than it has been in quite some time and visitors began arriving early (well before Luna had risen above our local horizon). Though they enjoyed excellent tales and views of stars Sirius and Betelgeuse, and decent looks at the constellation Orion and the Great Orion Nebula, they really wanted that Moon! As soon as it cleared neighboring trees, we trained the old 9-inch refractor on Luna's orange face. I was astonished at the detail I was seeing in the crater ejecta and other markings on the lunar surface; I don't believe I've ever seen those details so pronounced in any previous viewing. I regret not being able to capture that view as a photograph. Other eyes, however, eagerly awaited their turn at the telescope. As the evening progressed and the Moon rose, those details faded and we were left with more typical but still very good views (for so low to the horizon) of Earth's nearest neighbor. Visitors climbed the ladder one-by-one and most were astonished by what they saw. The grand old Cooley Telescope and its 110-year-old optics continue to excite! By the time I closed the door, we had hosted 48 visitors which, while not a world record, was somewhat larger than our average night ... a bit like the Moon itself!

Ugh (again)! This weather!

Just now I canceled yet another Public Night scheduled for Stephens Memorial Observatory. It was set for January 22. Weather for that night is expected to be cloudy to fully overcast with a predicted temperature of 13 (F) degrees at the scheduled starting time, and a 40 percent chance of snow! Just too much. I should have followed through with my resolution to not schedule any open nights for January or February due to the usually poor skies and winter weather conditions. Taking my own advice, I won't set up anything for the public until March!

Through a hole in the clouds I did get a naked-eye glimpse at Orion's sword the other morning. That's about all the astronomy I've done in a month or so. Sad, really.

Ugh! Winter off to a poor start!

This area suffered moderate to heavy cloud cover for the December 10, 2010 total lunar eclipse. I'd been looking forward to it --even considered gearing up to produce a live webcast-- but we were disappointed in the end. I didn't even get out of bed to look out the window. Those who did take a peek largely saw clouds or got brief glimpses of the partial phases of the event.

I had to cancel the December Open Night at Stephens Memorial Observatory due to illness. I was suffering from a stomach "bug" and was well-advised to not stand out in the cold. Skies were mostly-cloudy that night so I hope nobody was very disappointed we did not open.

We're hoping 2011 brings good things for the Hiram observatory: we've a good chance of a construction site for a new observatory and there are plans afoot for a kick-off event in a funding drive! More on all of that later, as developments come.

The next Stephens Open Night is set for January 22 and we plan to show off the Great Orion Nebula. Skies this month have generally been cloudy and snow is currently in the forecast daily -- we'll make plans and see if Mother Nature cooperates!

Clouds didn't stop us

Last night (Nov. 13) we had "only" 15 people show up on a night when one could look at the sky and usually see no more than a cloud-shrouded Moon and an occasional glimpse of Jupiter. Yes, it was that bad. On a night when we shouldn't have even opened, an attendance of 15 is a surprise.

Still, the clouds thinned enough on occasion to allow decent views of the Moon and surprisingly good looks at Jupiter and the Galilean Moons. Jove's Southern Equatorial Belt was not visible though there are photographic signs from other sources of its impending return. At Stephens we were able to see traces of other cloud banding this and the last time we looked at that world (Oct. 9) and at no greater than 122X magnification. Again, given the conditions, the quality of the seeing was a surprise.

Clouds did close us a bit early but didn't stop us from seeing our two main targets for the night.

Great Jupiter but no comet

Saturday night's (Oct. 9) Open Night at Stephens Memorial Observatory went pretty well. In all we had 28 visitors take a look at Jupiter, the Andromeda Galaxy, and the Perseid Double Cluster. I'd hoped and planned to view Comet Hartley 2 but could not find it to save my life! The skies improved as the night went on and by the time I closed, a little after 10:00, the Double Cluster was a naked eye object high over campus and the Milky Way was visible overhead. Our views of Jupiter were among the best I've enjoyed at Stephens. The Southern Equatorial Band is still missing, apparently obscured by high cirrus clouds in Jupiter's atmosphere. The northern band was easily seen but, more remarkable was the fact that we could make out numerous other, much more subtle, cloud bands in the northern and southern hemispheres. When we began the night's explorations, only three of the Galilean Moons were to be seen: three in a triangle on one side. After 9:00, however, Io put in an appearance albeit by itself on the opposite limb of the planet.It was a fine night at the observatory.

Observe the Moon Night

Last night, September 18, was the first annual International Observe the Moon Night. The forecast for the night called for mostly-cloudy skies and that's what we were seeing in the early evening and when I headed to Stephens Memorial Observatory. I'd made an online posting stating that I would open the doors at 8:30 PM no matter the weather but if cloudy, would close at 9:00. Strange how things happen. As the appointed hour approached an opening in the clouds appeared overhead. At first the Moon was very hazy, then clear enough to offer fair views. I worked inside the dome preparing the big telescope for public use. By the time I opened the dome slit, the sky was completely clear of clouds! Over the course of the evening 33 visitors came and went and saw the waxing gibbous Moon and, later, Jupiter. The Moon put in a glorious appearance through the telescope's vintage low-power eyepiece. Jupiter, still minus its Southern Equatorial Band or cloud belt, was also seen in good detail: the Northern Equatorial band was visible and, better still, we got occasional glimpses of cloud bands in Jove's southern hemisphere. The four Galilean moons were also brightly present: three on one side, Io by itself on the other. Late in the evening clouds again intruded first covering the Moon, then Jupiter. Finally Jupiter would wink in and out of visibility as smaller and smaller openings in the clouds passed offering seconds-long glimpses of the beautiful distant scene. Jupiter was near its opposition this night at a distance of about 368 million miles. When told about the distance one woman exclaimed, "you can see 368 million miles with that?! {telescope} I closed the dome at about 10:45 when sprinkles were felt falling from the sky. The people were engaged and enthusiastic and the sights were quite wonderful. It was a good night.

Photo: Waxing gibbous Moon, two days after First Quarter. Photo by James Guilford